Red Sox Re-Sign Joely Rodriguez To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox re-signed left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez. Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe tweeted this morning that Rodriguez was at the Red Sox’ spring facility in Fort Myers, Fla. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo added that he’s in camp on a minor league deal. Rodriguez is a client of L.A. Sports Management.
Rodriguez, 32, was with the Sox in 2023 but pitched just 11 innings due to oblique, shoulder and hip injuries that combined to result in three different stints on the injured list. He posted a 6.55 ERA in his short time on the mound, striking out 27.5% of his opponents against an 11.8% walk rate and 45.2% ground-ball rate.
It wasn’t a strong year overall for Rodriguez, but the lefty has posted far better numbers over the three preceding seasons in his return from an excellent two-year stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. From 2020-22, Rodriguez pitched 109 1/3 frames between the Rangers, Yankees and Mets, working to a 4.28 ERA with even more encouraging secondary marks. Rodriguez fanned 25.5% of his opponents in that time and induced grounders at a huge 55.7% clip. His 10.3% walk rate was still a couple ticks north of the league average, but the lefty offered an enticing blend of missed bats and grounders while excelling at keeping the ball in the park (0.58 HR/9). Metrics like FIP (3.14) and SIERA (3.51) were rather bullish on his work.
The Red Sox have little in the way of established left-handed bullpen options on the 40-man roster. Brennan Bernardino surprised with 50 1/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball as a 31-year-old rookie last season, but the only other southpaws on the roster are Joe Jacques and minor league starters Brandon Walter and Chris Murphy. Rodriguez joins Lucas Luetge as a veteran southpaw who’ll compete for a job in Alex Cora‘s bullpen. With a healthy spring, he ought to have a decent chance at winning a spot in a bullpen that’s seen a fair bit of turnover this offseason in the wake of a front office shakeup.
Yonathan Daza Signs With Mexican League’s Tecos De Los Dos Laredos
The Tecos de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League announced the signing of outfielder Yonathan Daza for the 2024 season. Daza had appeared in the majors in four of the last five seasons, including each of the past three years.
Last year, the outfielder started in center field for the Rockies on Opening Day. Daza got off to a slow start, hitting .270/.304/.351 through 24 contests. Colorado outrighted him to Triple-A at the beginning of May. The Rox turned center field over to rookie Brenton Doyle. Daza hit .305/.350/.415 over 39 games with Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque before suffering a left shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
Daza reached minor league free agency at season’s end. Instead of signing a minor league pact with an MLB team, he’ll head to Mexico. Daza is a solid athlete who can handle all three outfield positions. His offensive profile has been built primarily on putting the ball in play with minimal impact. He’s a .281/.329/.354 hitter in a little less than 1000 career MLB plate appearances. If he gets out to a strong start with the Tecos, he could find renewed minor league interest down the line.
Brewers Re-Sign Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers officially announced the re-signing of Brandon Woodruff on Wednesday evening. It’s a two-year pact with a mutual option for the 2026 season. The McKinnis Sports client is reportedly guaranteed $17.5MM on a backloaded deal. He’ll be paid $2.5MM for the upcoming season and a modest $5MM salary in 2025. The bulk of the money is concentrated in a $10MM buyout on the mutual option, which is valued at $20MM. Woodruff receives full no-trade rights.
Milwaukee placed the righty on the 60-day injured list within a couple hours of announcing the deal. That created the necessary 40-man roster spot for Gary Sánchez, who also finalized his contract on Wednesday.
Woodruff, 31, has spent his entire career with the Brewers but it seemed like that relationship was perhaps going to end at some point. Not too long ago, the Brewers had three key players that were all on track to make eight-figure arbitration salaries in 2024 before reaching free agency. Woodruff was one of those, along with fellow righty Corbin Burnes and shortstop Willy Adames. Given the way the club operates, it was expected that at least one of that group would be traded for salary relief and to restock some future talent.
But Woodruff dealt with shoulder issues throughout 2023 and wound up requiring surgery in October, which put his 2024 season in jeopardy. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected the righty for a salary of $11.6MM, a hefty amount for a pitcher who may not throw at all this year, especially for a lower-budget club like the Brewers. They reportedly explored some trade scenarios but ultimately just non-tendered Woodruff, sending him out to free agency.
That gave every club the chance to sign him, with the Mets having reported interest at one point. Their new president of baseball operations David Stearns is plenty familiar with Woodruff, as his time with the Brewers began the year after the righty was drafted. But in the end, Woodruff will be returning to Milwaukee to continue his tenure as a Brewer.
A two-year deal was always the most likely scenario for Woodruff. Pitchers facing lengthy layoffs like this, usually due to Tommy John surgery, often sign such pacts. That time frame allows the player to collect a paycheck while injured, while also giving the club a chance to potentially get a healthy full season at a relatively discounted rate. Woodruff’s situation is slightly different since he’s coming back from shoulder surgery rather than elbow surgery, but the logic is the same.
When healthy, Woodruff has been one of the better pitchers in the game. He has a 3.10 earned run average in his career, having struck out 28.9% of batters faced, walked just 6.5% of them and kept 42.8% of balls in play on the ground. Among pitchers with at least 650 innings pitched since the start of the 2017 season, that ERA ranks sixth in the majors.
But staying on the mound has been a bit of an issue for him, as he’s yet to hit 180 innings pitched in any big league season. In his big league career, he’s gone on the injured list due to a strained left oblique, a right ankle sprain and the aforementioned shoulder problems from last year.
Regardless, the Brewers are surely happy to get Woodruff back into the fold, as his results have clearly been excellent when he’s been able to take the ball. They have subtracted Burnes from this year’s rotation, having traded him to the Orioles, leaving Freddy Peralta as the de facto ace. They also acquired DL Hall in that Burnes deal, with the lefty hoping to earn a rotation spot this year. They also re-signed Wade Miley and Colin Rea while adding Jakob Junis and Joe Ross into the mix via free agency.
If Woodruff can get healthy by the end of the year, he’ll jump into that mix and help the club for the stretch run. Looking ahead to 2025, there’s not a lot of certainty for the Milwaukee rotation. Peralta is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, though he has $8MM club options for next year and the year after, with those a virtual lock to be triggered as long as he’s healthy. Miley and Junis have mutual options for next year, with those almost never picked up by both sides. The club has a ’25 option for Rea at a modest $5.5MM salary and $1MM buyout, making it a net $4.5MM decision, but it’s not a lock they would trigger that with his inconsistent track record. Hall still isn’t established as a capable big league starter.
Taking all of that into consideration, there’s very little that can be written in ink for next year’s rotation. There are some prospects near the majors who could step up, such as Robert Gasser and Jacob Misiorowski, but it makes a lot of sense to bring Woodruff back into the fold and hopefully have him come back healthy and effective by then. If that comes to pass, he and Peralta would give the club a strong front two next year, with three spots available for younger guys or future additions.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the Brewers were signing Woodruff to a two-year deal. The Associated Press reported the financial details and the no-trade clause.
Nationals, Derek Law Agree To Minor League Deal
The Nationals and right-hander Derek Law have agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The CAA Sports client will earn a salary of $1.5MM if added to the roster and there’s also $500K available via incentives as well as three opt-out opportunities.
Law, 33, posted solid results for the Reds last year, logging 55 innings while allowing 3.60 earned runs per nine. However, he may have been lucky to do so, as his 18.8% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 39.5% ground ball rate were all below league average. The baseball gods could have been smiling on him a bit, as his .275 batting average on balls in play and 77.9% strand rate were both on the fortunate side.
His 4.62 FIP and 4.82 SIERA suggested he may not have been able to continue keeping runs off the board at the rate that he did last year. The Reds may have agreed, as they decided to non-tender Law instead of keeping him around via arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a modest $1.4MM salary but the Reds cut him loose instead.
The Nats are rebuilding and should have innings available for relievers at some point this year. Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Tanner Rainey and Dylan Floro are the only relievers on the roster with more than three years in the big leagues. If any of them are throwing well this summer, they could find themselves on the the trade block, since the Nats aren’t expected to be in contention. Floro is on a one-year deal while each of Finnegan, Harvey and Rainey are set to become free agents after 2025.
Law is a veteran journeyman who debuted back in 2016, having suited up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers before joining the Reds. He has thrown 256 innings in the majors with a 4.08 ERA. He would be a logical fit on a club that’s lacking in experience, though he’ll have competition from other non-roster invitees like Richard Bleier, Luis Perdomo, Jacob Barnes and others. If Law doesn’t end up on the roster, the opt-outs give up some ability to pursue other opportunities, though the exact dates of those opt-outs haven’t been reported.
Brewers Designate Jahmai Jones For Assignment
The Brewers have designated infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones for assignment, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His roster spot will go to right-hander Brandon Woodruff, whose previously-reported signing is now official.
Jones, 26, signed with the Brewers in July of last year. He spent most of the rest of the season on optional assignment, only getting into seven big league games, hitting .200/.273/.300 in those. He exhausted his final option year in the process and is now out of options, which was going to make it challenging for him to hang onto a roster spot going forward.
A second-round pick of the Angels back in 2015, Jones was once a top 100 prospect but has generally struggled to take his strong minor league work up to the majors. He got a brief cup of coffee with the Halos in 2020 before being dealt to the Orioles for Alex Cobb in February of 2021. He got into 26 games as an Oriole in 2021 but then required Tommy John surgery in May of 2022. He was later designated for assignment and released, as injured players can’t be put on outright waivers. That led to a two-year minor league deal with the Dodgers, though he opted out of that pact last summer before signing with the Brewers.
Amid all those jersey swaps, he’s hit .179/.233/.226 in a tiny sample of 90 plate appearances in the big leagues. But he’s been much more impressive on the farm, hitting .254/.378/.441 over the past three years. That includes a line of .268/.413/.466 last year between the systems of the Dodgers and Brewers, drawing walks in 18.7% of his plate appearances while only striking out in 21.8% of them. That production was 22% better than league average by measure of wRC+.
Jones also stole 12 bases in the minors last year and lined up defensively at second base, third base and the outfield corners. His time at third was minimal, just nine innings, but he’s also played center field in previous seasons.
The Brewers will have one week to trade Jones or try to pass him through waivers. He could garner interest based on his past prospect pedigree, strong offense in the minors and defensive versatility. However, since he is now out of options, he’ll have less roster flexibility going forward.
Rays Sign Amed Rosario To One-Year Deal
The Rays added to their infield on Tuesday afternoon, signing Amed Rosario to a one-year contract. The Octagon client is reportedly guaranteed $1.5MM and can unlock an additional $500K in incentives. Tampa Bay placed Drew Rasmussen, who is recovering from flexor surgery, on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
Rosario, 28, has been an everyday big league shortstop for many years but is coming off a challenging season. He started the year with the Guardians but was hitting just .265/.306/.369 when the deadline was approaching, with that production translating to a wRC+ of 87. His shortstop defense had always been questionable but it became downright problematic in 2023. He was tagged with grades of -16 Defensive Runs Saved and -15 Outs Above Average with Cleveland.
The Guards flipped him to the Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard, and Rosario’s new club moved him to the other side of the bag most of the time. He seemed to take well to the position switch, at least in a small sample of 190 innings, producing 3 DRS and OAA at an even zero. His bat was roughly the same, as he hit .256/.301/.408 as a Dodger for a wRC+ of 93.
He was a notably better in the two prior seasons. He hit 11 home runs in both 2021 and 2022, a modest number but much better than the six he hit in 2023. He slashed .282/.316/.406 in those two years with Cleveland for a 103 wRC+, not walking much but also avoiding strikeouts, 4.5% walk rate and 18.4% strikeout rate.
Defensively, he had a positive grade from DRS in 2022 but has otherwise always been subpar. OAA has had him in negative territory in each full season of his career. He probably won’t be an everyday option for the Rays at shortstop but he might see some occasional time there.
The Rays love flexibility and have a big hole at shortstop thanks to the absence of Wander Franco, who has an uncertain future as he’s under investigation for having a relationship with an underage girl. In addition to that, Taylor Walls is recovering from hip surgery and will miss at least part of the season. President of baseball operations Erik Neander recently suggested that José Caballero could be the starter to begin the year.
The club also has prospect Junior Caminero, who is generally considered one of the top 10 prospects in the sport and has already made his major league debut. But his bat is considered superior to his defense and some evaluators expect him to wind up at third base rather than short. Osleivis Basabe is in the mix but he didn’t hit much in his first taste of the majors or Triple-A. They added Yu Chang on a minor league deal earlier today to provide some non-roster depth.
Caballero, acquired from the Mariners in the Luke Raley deal, has just 280 MLB plate appearances and slashed just .221/.343/.320 in those. He has some speed, having swiped 26 bags in 29 tries last year, and the defense seems to be good, 4 DRS and 2 OAA thus far. But overall, the Rays don’t have a ton of solid answers for their shortstop position and Rosario could perhaps factor in there.
But if his days at that position are no more, there are still ways for him to be useful for the Rays. The right-handed hitter has wide platoon splits in his career, having hit .298/.339/.467 against lefties for a 121 wRC+ but just .262/.296/.374 the rest of the time for a wRC+ of 84.
The Rays have a left-handed hitting second baseman in Brandon Lowe and he also fares better with the platoon advantage. He’s hit .220/.284/.437 against southpaws, 99 wRC+, but produced a huge line of .253/.349/.499 and 135 wRC+ against righties. He’s also had notable injury setbacks in his career, with 2021 being his only season in the big leagues where he played in more than 109 games. A platoon of Lowe and Rosario at the keystone could perhaps be best for both players.
Players like Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda are also lefties with notable issues when southpaws are on the mound. That could perhaps lead to Rosario getting some time as the designated hitter or even taking a corner outfield role on occasion. He has just 171 1/3 innings of outfield experience at the big league level but the Rays could perhaps try to rotate him through if they think it will help their versatility.
Despite his rough season and generally poor defensive track record, Rosario still generated plenty of interest this winter. The free agent market for middle infielders was on the weak side but plenty of teams were in need of help there. The Angels, Marlins, Red Sox and Blue Jays were connected to him at various points in the offseason. The Jays pivoted to Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their infield additions while the Red Sox filled their second base position by trading for Vaughn Grissom. The Marlins are still looking to upgrade at shortstop but reportedly have made an offer to Tim Anderson. The Angels are known to have interest in bringing back Gio Urshela as a multi-positional infield upgrade.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Rays and Rosario had agreed to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the $500K in incentives.
Orioles Outright Diego Castillo
The Orioles announced that infielder Diego Castillo has gone unclaimed on waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. He remains in the organization and seems likely to get a non-roster invite to big league Spring Training.
It’s a resolution to what has likely been a tumultuous few weeks for Castillo. He has changed hands on waivers four times since being designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks just before Christmas. Castillo briefly landed with each of the Mets, Yankees and Phillies. Philadelphia designated him for assignment a week ago to clear room for Kaleb Ort (whom they coincidentally subsequently DFA and traded to Baltimore yesterday). The O’s grabbed Castillo but DFA him themselves on Sunday when they acquired lefty reliever Matt Krook.
Baltimore succeeded in sneaking him through waivers unclaimed and keeping him around in a non-roster capacity. Castillo is clearly of intrigue to a number of teams as a depth option. The Venezuela native has shown strong contact skills in the minors. He owns a .296/.410/.407 batting line over parts of three Triple-A seasons, including a .313/.431/.410 slash for Arizona’s top affiliate a year ago.
That didn’t translate into MLB success during Castillo’s rookie campaign with the Pirates. The righty hitter put up a .206/.251/.382 showing in 96 games with Pittsburgh two seasons ago. He only appeared at the major league level once for Arizona last year. Castillo figures to open the 2024 campaign in Norfolk behind a deep collection of infield talent on the Baltimore 40-man roster.
Tigers Claim TJ Hopkins, Designate Kolton Ingram
The Tigers announced that they have claimed outfielder TJ Hopkins off waivers from the Giants. In a corresponding move, left-hander Kolton Ingram has been designated for assignment.
Hopkins, 27, had spent his entire career with the Reds until a few months ago but has been riding the roster carousel a bit lately. Cincy designated him for assignment in December and then flipped him to the Giants for cash. He stuck on the Giants’ roster for about two months before getting bumped off last week. After a week in DFA limbo, he’s now landed with the Tigers.
The right-handed hitter made his major league debut last year but it wasn’t especially strong. He hit just .171/.227/.171 for the year, though in a tiny sample of 44 plate appearances. His work in Triple-A was much more encouraging. He drew a walk in 14% of his 393 plate appearances and also launched 16 home runs. His .308/.411/.514 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 134, indicating he was 34% better than the league average.
Hopkins has mostly played left field in his career but has seen decent amounts of playing time at all three outfield spots. The Tigers have an outfield/designated hitter mix that skews left-handed, as each of Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo hit from that side. The club acquired Mark Canha to give them a bit of right-handed ballast but Hopkins will provide them with a depth option. He still has two option years and can be kept in Triple-A until he forces his way back to the big leagues or an opening appears.
As for Ingram, 27, he also made a small-sample debut in the majors last year, tossing 5 1/3 innings for the Angels. He allowed five earned runs in that time, striking out seven batters but also giving out five walks. He spent most of the year on the farm, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. Between those two levels, he combined for 64 innings with a 2.81 ERA. His 31.1% strikeout rate is eye-catching but his 13.1% walk rate concerning.
The Halos designated him for assignment when they signed Aaron Hicks and the Tigers grabbed him off waivers in the first week of February, though he’s now been bumped off the roster a couple of weeks later. The Tigers will have one week to trade Ingram or pass him through waivers. Left-handed relief is always in demand and he still has a couple of option years, so he could be attractive to any club looking to bolster its bullen depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Tigers in a non-roster capacity.
Rockies, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rockies brought right-handed reliever Matt Carasiti back on a minor league deal, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. He’ll surely be in camp as a non-roster player after tossing 24 1/3 innings for the Rox in the big leagues last year.
Carasiti, 32, was drafted by the Rockies in the sixth round back in 2012. He made his big league debut for Colorado in 2016 before being traded to the Cubs in 2017 and then bouncing to the Giants, Mariners and Red Sox via minor league free agency. Last year’s 24 1/3 innings in his Rockies return resulted in a 6.29 ERA, 14.5% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and huge 56.1% ground-ball rate out of Bud Black’s bullpen. He posted better results in Triple-A, notching a 3.33 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 27 frames.
Carasiti has a 6.89 ERA in 49 2/3 big league innings over parts of three seasons — two with the Rockies and one (2019) with the Mariners. He still averaged 95.4 mph on his sinker last season. The Rockies’ bullpen was loaded with question marks even before word of Daniel Bard‘s knee surgery.
Justin Lawrence, Tyler Kinley and Nick Mears are all likely locked into spots. Lawrence stepped up as the team’s closer in 2023, while neither Kinley or Mears can be optioned to the minors. Righty Jake Bird‘s 2023 performance presumably earned him a spot as well. There are still several open spots, and even if Carasiti doesn’t grab one of those, his prior big league experience could make him an option whenever a need arises in the coming season.
Red Sox Sign Liam Hendriks
Feb. 20, 10:37am: Hendriks will earn $2MM in 2024 and $6MM in 2025, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. There’s also a $2MM buyout on the 2026 option, which is valued at $12MM. The $10MM worth of incentives in the deal are all tied to Hendriks’ 2025 performance, Cotillo adds. Half of that incentives package is tied to games finished, and the other half is tied to Hendriks’ total innings pitched. There are no incentives tied to the 2024 season.
10:25am:: The Red Sox have formally announced the signing of Hendriks to a two-year contract with a mutual option for a third season. This weekend’s trade of righty John Schreiber to the Royals opened a 40-man spot in Boston, so a corresponding move for Hendriks isn’t necessary.
Feb. 19: The Red Sox are reportedly in agreement with right-hander Liam Hendriks on a two-year deal that will guarantee him $10MM, though he can earn as much as $20MM via incentives. There’s also a 2026 mutual option for the ALIGND Sports Agency client. The deal is pending a physical.
Hendriks, 35, was the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year award winner in 2023 after he managed to return to the mound five months after he began undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in early January before announcing that he was cancer-free in April. Unfortunately, Hendriks’ amazing comeback was cut short after just five appearances due to a bout of elbow inflammation, which ended up leading to the veteran undergoing Tommy John surgery back in August. Hendriks’ lengthy impending rehab led the White Sox to decline their club option on his services for the 2024 season, allowing him to hit the open market back in November.
While 2023 was something of a lost season for Hendriks, he’s long been one of the most dominant relievers in the sport. The right-hander debuted as a starting pitcher with the Twins back in 2011, though he struggled in the role for Minnesota, Kansas City, and Toronto with a 5.92 ERA in 39 appearances across four seasons before the Blue Jays decided to move him to the bullpen full time in 2015. The role change did wonders for Hendriks’ performance, as he pitched to a strong 2.92 ERA with an even better 2.14 FIP across 64 2/3 innings of work for the club that year. That season, Hendriks struck out a solid 27.2% of batters faced while allowing free passes at a minimal 4.2% clip.
The Blue Jays didn’t retain Hendriks after his breakout campaign, instead dealing him to the Oakland A’s prior to the 2016 season. During his first few years in Oakland, Hendriks came back down to earth a bit, pitching to relatively middling results out of the club’s bullpen with a 4.01 ERA and a 3.24 FIP across 152 2/3 innings of work from 2016 to 2018. Hendriks returned to form in 2019, however. When then-A’s closer Blake Treinen struggled to a 4.91 ERA during the 2019 season, Hendriks took over the closer’s role and did not look back with an incredible 1.80 ERA with a 1.78 FIP in 85 innings of work.
The righty continued that strong performance in 2020, his final year of club control. He headed into the open market after racking up 14 more saves in the shortened season, posting a 1.78 ERA thanks to a huge 40.2% strikeout rate and tiny 3.3% walk rate. He landed a three-year, $54MM deal with the White Sox with a complicated club option for 2024. The salary and buyout on that option were both $15MM, though the buyout would spread the payouts over a 10-year period.
He continued to serve as a lockdown closer for the first two years of that deal before, as mentioned, going through various challenges in the third. With Hendriks looking at missing at least the first few months of 2024, the White Sox went for the $15MM opt-out instead of the $15MM salary. Despite those matching figures, they will save money in long run by holding that money, collecting interest on it and paying it out later when inflation has reduced its value.
Hendriks went into the open market unable to market himself for much of the 2024 season. He is targeting a trade deadline return from last year’s surgery, though that would be on the ambitious end of typical Tommy John recovery timelines since he just went under the knife a year ago.
It would obviously be great news if Hendriks is back on the mound in August or September but the signing for the Red Sox is more about 2025. The club has Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin as their top relievers this year but both are impending free agents and each have been in trade rumors this offseason. The club seems to have little hesitation about subtracting from this year’s relief corps, as they recently traded John Schreiber and flipped Nick Robertson earlier in the winter as part of the Tyler O’Neill deal.
Overall, the club’s offseason has been more focused on the future than the present. The move for O’Neill and the signing of Lucas Giolito were nice adds for this year, but they’ve also been seemingly trying to keep payroll fairly low and have sent out players with minimal club control like Chris Sale and Alex Verdugo. While they’re not exactly tearing things down to the studs as part of a deep rebuild, they do seem to be aware that they need to think about the long term after a couple of last place finishes in the A.L. East in past two seasons.
Signing Hendriks fits into that, as he will upgrade next year’s roster more than this one’s. There’s also some financial wiggle room due to their relatively modest winter. Roster Resource pegs their current payroll at $181MM, even after the Hendriks signing. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, they were twice were over $230MM a few years back and at $207MM two years ago. RR also has their competitive balance tax now at $202MM, nowhere near the $237MM base threshold of the tax.
If the Sox find themselves in contention later this year, perhaps Hendriks can come back from his rehab and join their bullpen for the stretch run. But for next year, he potentially gives the club an elite closer at a relative modest salary, providing an early solution to the departures of Jansen and Martin.
Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive first reported the sides were nearing an agreement and that Hendriks was present at the club’s Spring Training facility in Florida. Buster Olney of ESPN first had the two years and $10MM guarantee. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relayed the 2026 mutual option. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the potential to get to $20MM via incentives.